Some Cubs prospects playing well in Peoria
Interesting things are playing in Peoria, home of the Cubs’ Class A Chiefs club.
First baseman Paul Hoilman recently set a club record with a 24-game hitting streak. He tied the old mark at 21 last week. It had been held by Kerry Robinson (1996) and Jack Wilson (1999).
“It’s good company to be in,” Hoilman told Kevin Capie of the Peoria Journal Star. “I definitely want to go where those guys have gone (the big leagues). It’s pretty special.
“Between the media and some of my teammates talking about it, it grew a little bit. It was fun, though.”
The hitting streak ended for Hoilman on Saturday. Entering Monday, he had a hitting line of .302/.359/.504 with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers and 28 RBI. Hoilman was a 19th-round draft choice last year out of East Tennessee State. His 17 home runs at Class A Boise led the Northwest League and set a team record.
Also at Peoria, right-hander P.J. Francescon looks like he could be a diamond in the rough. He is 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA and a WHIP of 0.80.
Francescon was a 40th-rounder last year out of Trevecca Nazarene University in Tennessee. In Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Burlington, he had a no-hitter through 5 innings.
Class AAA Iowa:
Left-hander Chris Rusin, who went to spring training with the big club, is the Pacific Coast League pitcher of the week.
On Sunday, Rusin and the I-Cubs beat Sacramento 4-3. Rusin worked 8 shutout innings, giving up 5 hits while walking two and striking out seven. He is 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA and a WHIP of 1.05.
For those wanting a quick call-up of center fielder Brett Jackson or first baseman Anthony Rizzo, it’s not likely to happen. Rizzo is performing the better of the two. He’s at .351/.416/.657 with 11 homers and 34 RBI.
Jackson is down to .233/.342/.419 with 3 homers and 12 RBI. In 129 at-bats, he has 20 walks and 45 strikeouts.
Class AA Tennessee:
The Knoxville News Sentinel has a nice feature on infielder Nate Samson, whose father, Fred, played eight seasons in the Texas Rangers organization.
“I grew up around the baseball field and the locker room with guys like Nolan Ryan, Pudge Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa, all through that time,” Samson told the paper. “They all came to my birthday in Tulsa, when (the Rangers) had their minor-league team there. It was a good experience, just growing up with those guys and always being around the ballpark. It’s in my blood.”
Class A Daytona:
The Daytona Beach News-Journal published a story on Northwestern product Eric Jokisch, a lefty who is 3-3 with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Jokisch was an 11th-rounder in 2010.
“My confidence level is up right now,” Jokisch told the paper. “My pitches, for the most part, have been going my way, and I feel like I’m a contributor in helping our club turn this season around.”